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Ocean Insulation
This technology was proposed in sci-fi literature. Even if the scientific community does not talk much about it, it's worth to analyze from the point of view of terraforming. Basics An Outer Planet is usually covered by a thick icy crust. Sometimes, the celestial body might be too small to hold an atmosphere for long time (see Atmosphere around small bodies for details). Still, even without an atmosphere, by melting the ice, we can create an ocean that can support life. The main problem is that we need to separate the ocean from the cosmic void. The insulation layer will allow light to pass through, but will reflect heat, keeping it trapped. If an icy moon is covered with this, the crust will slowly melt. As an alternative, we can melt the crust using another source of heat (for example, a giant nuclear generator) to speed up the process. Structure The insulation layer must be made of a material that is rather elastic. This way, it will not be broken by oceanic currents. It must be transparent for visible light and reflective for infrared. It must have a mass large enough to mimic the pressure of an atmosphere. Also, it must be lighter then water, to float. The insulation layer will be, close to the water, heated to a temperature above freezing. In such conditions, it might be liquid. At the surface, it will be exposed to the cold of the cosmos, so it will be solid. Between, it might have a high viscosity. On the surface, it will crack, but cracks will be filled with liquid material coming from below. This will maintain its integrity. What material can be used for this? There are many organic compounds with similar densities that can be mixed to create this effect. In addition, Greenhouse Gases like sulfur hexafluoride can be dissolved in the mixture, to ensure the greenhouse effect will be as expected. Above the insulation Some volatiles might sublimate, creating a tenuous atmosphere. However, we can expect that, at the low temperatures of Uranus and Saturn, where most small, round icy moons are, this will be a negligible process. The insulation layer there will form a solid crust that vehicles can travel on. Beyond the insulation Some components can dissolve in water, affecting life. We must be careful not to use something that can cause significant Pollution. It is good to use materials that are insoluble in water. It is known that bacteria can alter organic compounds, including petroleum. Because of this, we must carefully chose what we will use for the insulation and what types of bacteria will be inserted. It could be possible to use genetically modified bacteria that will replenish components of the insulation layer. The insulation layer will simulate pressure of an atmosphere. On Earth, a layer of 10 m of water can mimic the atmospheric pressure. However, on celestial bodies with less gravity, we will need a thicker layer to compress the ocean. On Ariel (see Ariel Simulation), we will need a layer of 40 m to create a pressure of 0.1 bar. Effects on the ocean Basically, the ocean will lack an atmosphere. Any gas produced by organisms in the ocean will rise to the insulation and get trapped there, where viscosity becomes relevant. This will include oxygen and carbon dioxide. Fish and algae might occasionally rise to the insulation layer, where they will not find conditions to survive and will die. The ocean will have conditions for fish and algae to develop, but not for mammals and birds, which need air to breath. These organisms will not have access to an atmosphere. Human Colonies Settlers will benefit from this method. First of all, people will live in submarines, slightly below the insulation layer. They will not need to spend energy for heating their habitats. The second advantage is that they can get food from the ocean. A major problem is that, without an atmosphere, settlers will have to produce their own oxygen for breathing. Well, in an ocean, there is plenty of oxygen that can be extracted. Population Limit is very low on an outer planet, because any human activity producing heat can destabilize the equilibrium, making the planet lose its atmosphere or enter a runaway greenhouse effect. However, with this method, human activities that produce too much heat (industrial centers for example) can be built above the insulation layer. If needed, holes can be made in the insulation, decreasing the temperature fast. Climate Water is known to absorb easy heat and store it for much longer then ground or air. Because of this, there will be very small temperature differences inside the ocean then on the surface, if the planet were terraformed in a classic way. Outer planets show very little temperature variations. Because of this, their atmospheres get saturated with water vapors, up to the point where the sky is permanently covered with clouds and visibility is reduced on the ground to less then 100 m. This further diminishes the luminosity from plants, which already suffer from a lack of light. With more luminosity, plants will grow faster. Conclusion The ocean insulation technique can provide an alternative for terraforming in case of small outer planets that are unable to retain an atmosphere for long. It can offer some advantages also for humans. See Also *Artificial Continents *Artificial Surface *Ground Insulation